Why doesn't Doctor Strange have a bunch of students?

[chariset]

Not only does Strange have no disciples, the villainous mystics don't seem to have one either.

I could see Strange going to Mordo and saying "I know he'll just turn out evil, but I think you should take an apprentice. The Ancient One's teachings should not pass from this earth. If you want suggestions, there's a Parker Robbins guy locked up in the Raft you might want to talk to."

[dupersuper]

I'd assume he's too busy saving the universe...

[Clea]

Not only does Strange have no disciples, the villainous mystics don't seem to have one either.

I could see Strange going to Mordo and saying "I know he'll just turn out evil, but I think you should take an apprentice. The Ancient One's teachings should not pass from this earth. If you want suggestions, there's a Parker Robbins guy locked up in the Raft you might want to talk to."

I can't see Strange ever urging Mordo to take on a villainous apprentice knowing that the end result would be yet another extremely powerful, angry, evil magic user. If anything, I expect that if Strange found out that Mordo had taken on a student (or a group of students) he'd try to turn the students away from Mordo somehow. OTOH, I can actually see Mordo deciding to do this himself, but only with the intent of training somone to help him destroy Strange and other good magic users so that Mordo could end up on the top of the magical heap again, at which point he'd have to take out his apprentice too.

[The Black Guardian]

Not only does Strange have no disciples, the villainous mystics don't seem to have one either.

I could see Strange going to Mordo and saying "I know he'll just turn out evil, but I think you should take an apprentice. The Ancient One's teachings should not pass from this earth. If you want suggestions, there's a Parker Robbins guy locked up in the Raft you might want to talk to."

Mordo sees Robbins for the talentless hack he is. He was never more than a common street criminal that stumbled upon an artifact.

And what Clea wrote. Mordo isn't going to be doing Strange any favours either.

Besides, I wouldn't think Strange would need to inform Mordo of anything. News like this would travel like Quicksilver through the magic cliques of the MU. Robbins should have pinged on Mordo's radar at least as fast as Strange's. "Whoa... someone found the 'Cloak of Whatevawhozitz'! "

[SanctumSanctorumComix]

Not only does Strange have no disciples, the villainous mystics don't seem to have one either.

I could see Strange going to Mordo and saying "I know he'll just turn out evil, but I think you should take an apprentice. The Ancient One's teachings should not pass from this earth. If you want suggestions, there's a Parker Robbins guy locked up in the Raft you might want to talk to."

The evil mystics wouldn't take on a pupil for the very reasoning that they are evil and covet the power for themselves.
Also, which of them wouldn't see an acolyte for a potential threat? Someone who would (because THE VILLAIN certainly would) turn on their teacher and usurp their power?

No.
It's just bad fiction to think that a true evil would try to cultivate another in their midst - at least not without some sort of "security" provision (a death switch of some sort).

Legacies are a possible exception: a father trying to lure his son to the "family business" so to speak.
But that doesn't usually turn out well, almost always ending in fratricide or the turning of the son to the side of the angels (or the less likely turning of the father to good).
See how it worked for Darth Vader?


Heroes mostly seek out pupils for two reasons:
1) to help a young talent reach their potential
2) to seek to broaden the base of good with which to battle evil (especially if the hero needs someone to carry on in their stead)

Villains don't care if anyone gets any better (especially not better than them) and they don't look to have help, as they want sole credit in killing the hero, want no "governors" when ruling the world - and see no time when they won't be around to do what they wilt.

[XPac]

The evil mystics wouldn't take on a pupil for the very reasoning that they are evil and covet the power for themselves.
Also, which of them wouldn't see an acolyte for a potential threat? Someone who would (because THE VILLAIN certainly would) turn on their teacher and usurp their power?

No.
It's just bad fiction to think that a true evil would try to cultivate another in their midst - at least not without some sort of "security" provision (a death switch of some sort).

Legacies are a possible exception: a father trying to lure his son to the "family business" so to speak.
But that doesn't usually turn out well, almost always ending in fratricide or the turning of the son to the side of the angels (or the less likely turning of the father to good).
See how it worked for Darth Vader?

Sort of reminds me of the whole Sith philosophy from the Knights of the Old Republic video games.

There's always a student and a master, and the master knows full well that the student will one day rise up and try to replace the master. It ensures the line stays strong in a survival of the fittest way I guess. Though if taken literally still seems kinda dumb.

[Vic Vega]

The evil mystics wouldn't take on a pupil for the very reasoning that they are evil and covet the power for themselves.
Also, which of them wouldn't see an acolyte for a potential threat? Someone who would (because THE VILLAIN certainly would) turn on their teacher and usurp their power?

No.
It's just bad fiction to think that a true evil would try to cultivate another in their midst - at least not without some sort of "security" provision (a death switch of some sort).

Legacies are a possible exception: a father trying to lure his son to the "family business" so to speak.
But that doesn't usually turn out well, almost always ending in fratricide or the turning of the son to the side of the angels (or the less likely turning of the father to good).
See how it worked for Darth Vader?


Heroes mostly seek out pupils for two reasons:
1) to help a young talent reach their potential
2) to seek to broaden the base of good with which to battle evil (especially if the hero needs someone to carry on in their stead)

Villains don't care if anyone gets any better (especially not better than them) and they don't look to have help, as they want sole credit in killing the hero, want no "governors" when ruling the world - and see no time when they won't be around to do what they wilt.

Mordo actually DID have some disciples at one point.
One of them was a female named Adria. The other was Demonicus or something.

I guess even guys like Mordo want henchmen.

[SanctumSanctorumComix]

Mordo actually DID have some disciples at one point.
One of them was a female named Adria. The other was Demonicus or something.

I guess even guys like Mordo want henchmen.

No. Those weren't disciples.
They were Mordo's MINIONS.
(That was actually the name of that little gathering)

A minion is a lackey. Nothing more.
(You were right to call them "henchmen". But that's far different than a disciple or a pupil.)

Mordo ALSO utilized WRAITHS. These were astral demonic entities (or demonic creations) of DORMAMMU's.
They did his bidding as well (usually search missions).

[chariset]

What happened to the Mordo who had terminal cancer and died? That was a genuinely touching story.

[SanctumSanctorumComix]

What happened to the Mordo who had terminal cancer and died? That was a genuinely touching story.

He came back from the dead in Spider-Man # 500.
At the end of a big battle in NYC with Spidey and the other NYC heroes (Avengers, FF, etc...) against the Mindless Ones, Mr. Fantastic uses a gun to do something which gathered all the Mindless Ones together, but it was a trick by Dormammu to get his energies reassembled (which Dr Strange had just dispersed - off panel), so then a BIG battle between Doc and Dormammu ensues, but SPidey got in the middle of it and caused a backlash.

Long story short, DOc had to so some time-alteration to get SPidey back to the present, but that time-stream jiggering caused a ripple which allowed Mordo to return from the dead (or at least healthy from a time prior to his death).
Then Mordo sent Doc into his own past (which ended up being the bad JMS "Strange" v1 mini) and they both vanished.

Mordo was then seen in X-Factor {issues 203-205) where he needed to suck the life forces from M (Monet St. Claire) to rid him of his cancer.
M and X-Factor tricked him into thinking that he was cured, and he went off on his way (thinking that he killed her).

He was next seen getting his as kicked by Ulik in a Thor/Iron Man mini series (the first issue) when his castle was invaded to get a mystic artifact.

That's been the last we've seen of him.

[Kymeric]

I liked Strange2099 and Dormagus from mc2. Both were disciples of Dr Strange. He was oddly antagonistic and manipulative towards both of them. But I enjoyed seeing him in the role of the Ancient One.

[XPac]

I liked Strange2099 and Dormagus from mc2. Both were disciples of Dr Strange. He was oddly antagonistic and manipulative towards both of them. But I enjoyed seeing him in the role of the Ancient One.

Yeah, I sort of like that aspect of Strange in those stories. He wasn't a bad guy or anything, but at times he was clearly pulling peoples strings. It was a neat element that made the character sort of pop.

[blackpariah]

Well, see, kiddies shouldn't be getting themselves involved in magic, anyway. Any student he has should be adult.

Heed the cautionary tale of Casey Kinmont!

Lol. Someone should really resolve that. Probably give him his own book to do so.

I really want that resolved, if only so Strange doesn't look like such a dick for letting his new apprentice sacrifice herself to a hell dimension for him and then saying ,"I was gonna go look for her, but whatever."
Technically, he still has her soul just sitting in a jar. Jerk.

[SanctumSanctorumComix]

I liked Strange2099 and Dormagus from mc2. Both were disciples of Dr Strange. He was oddly antagonistic and manipulative towards both of them. But I enjoyed seeing him in the role of the Ancient One.

Well, if you're going into alt-U and/or future stories, you also need to add:

KRUGARR and TALON (both from the future timeframe of the ORIGINAL Guardian's of the Galaxy - not the new Star-Lord led GotG.)
Both of those were disciples in the future (although, Talon was more of Krugarr's disciple)

There are more "future and alt-U" disciples... for instance; TIGRA (in the Marvel Mangaverse AND the alt-U (or future) incarnation of her in the recent issues of Dark Avengers.

~P~

[Zagreus]

I always thought he should take on Scarlet Witch as an apprentice and have her on the Defenders. Scarlet Witch actually had some magic back in the day in addition to her hex power, but was always a bit uncertain about her abilities and Strange would be a damn sight better mentor than that Agatha Harkness person. Since Wanda has the potential for crazy power levels and a history of instability she could benefit from, and is in desperate need of, dicipline and meditation techniques, martial arts, and mastery, all of which Strange could mentor her in. And Defenders would be a nice change of pace for Wanda too...

My two cents.